District
of Innovation
EISD DOI Approved July 25, 2022
EISD DOI PLAN
EISD DOI - Proposed Plan 2022 6.9.22
District of Innovation History
On January 23, 2017, the Edgewood ISD School
Board of Trustees unanimously voted to move forward with the creation of a
District of Innovation Committee for the purpose of creating possible DOI Plan
considerations.
What is a District of
Innovation?
In 2015, the Texas 84TH
Legislature with House Bill 1842, amended the Education Code to empower school
districts to enjoy some of the same flexibility given to Texas open enrollment
charter schools by allowing public independent school districts to be exempt
from certain requirements imposed by state law. Essentially, the District of
Innovation (DOI) legislation is about offering districts more local control.
"Innovation" is somewhat a misnomer in this instance, and a more
appropriate title would have been “District of Local Control.”
With federal legislation such as No Child Left Behind and the ever-expanding
Texas Education Code, public schools districts have had little decision-making
authority at the local level to reflect the uniqueness of each community. To
some extent, DOI legislation offers a window of opportunity for districts to
take back some local decision-making. As much as anything, many districts are
seeking the DOI designation to demonstrate the desire for local control free of
overarching federal and state mandates. That being said, districts cannot seek
exemption from certain federal and state legislation such as academic
accountability, including student standardized assessments.
What school districts
are eligible to be District's of Innovation?
To be eligible for designation as a District of
Innovation, a school district’s most recent academic performance rating must be
at least acceptable (TASB DOI Information Sheet).
Why would a school
district choose to pursue a DOI option?
A local school district may want to pursue
specific innovations in curriculum, instruction, governance, parent or
community involvement, school calendar, budgeting, or other ideas. An
innovation plan also allows a school district to gain exemption from many Texas
Education Code requirements. Essentially, innovation plans will be about local
control. Each district will pursue designation as a District of Innovation for
different reasons, and no two plans may look the same. Community members should
note that each innovation plan will be unique to the local school district. The
experiences of other school districts may be informative, but may not directly
relate to the purpose or progress of a plan in another location (TASB DOI
Information Sheet).
What potential
benefits would a DOI Distinction offer Edgewood ISD?
Potential benefits of Edgewood ISD becoming a
District of Innovation include:
Local control: EISD decides which available flexibilities best suit our
local needs.
Customization: EISD can create an innovation plan that suits very specific
needs of our school district.
Autonomy: The DOI Committee must submit a district of innovation plan to
the EISD School Board and the Texas Commissioner of Education.
Flexibility: EISD will have the flexibility to implement practices similar
to open enrollment charter schools, including exemptions from mandates
such as:
School start date
90% attendance rule
Class-size ratios
Site-based decision-making processes
Certain student discipline provisions
Use of planning and preparation periods
Teacher appraisal requirements
What legal
requirements can a DOI Plan not exempt?
As outlined in the TASB
DOI Information Sheet, a DOI plan cannot seek exemption from a state or federal
requirement applicable to open enrollment charter schools, certain parts of
Chapter 11, state requirements for curriculum and graduation, and academic and
financial accountability. Laws from which a District of Innovation cannot be
exempt include statutes regarding:
• Elected boards of trustees
• Powers and duties of school boards, superintendents, and principals
• PEIMS
• Criminal history record checks and educator misconduct reporting
• Curriculum and graduation requirements
• Bilingual education
• Special education
• Prekindergarten
• Academic accountability, including student assessments
• Financial accountability and related reporting
• Open meetings
• Public records
• Public purchasing under the Texas Local Government Code and conflicts of
interest
• Nepotism
• Other state and federal laws outside of the Texas Education Code
How long does a DOI
Plan stay in effect?
The DOI plan may have a
term of up to five years, and it may be amended, rescinded, or renewed by a
majority vote of the District Level Advisory Committee, and the district’s
board of trustees in the same manner required for initial adoption.
If a District of Innovation receives unacceptable academic and/or financial
performance ratings for two consecutive years, the commissioner may terminate
the innovation plan or require the district to amend its plan. If a District of
Innovation receives unacceptable academic and/or financial performance ratings
for three consecutive years, the commissioner must terminate the innovation
plan.
What impact could a
DOI Plan have on Edgewood ISD School Board Policy?
A District of Innovation
will likely need to make changes to LOCAL policies and may need adjustments to
LEGAL policies to reflect that some legal provisions may be affected by the
district’s innovation plan. After TEA publishes rules and the list of legal
provisions from which a District of Innovation may seek an exemption, TASB
Policy Service will be able to help each District of Innovation evaluate
necessary changes to the district’s policy manual, which could vary greatly
from district to district, depending on the extent of the district-wide
exemptions included in the innovation plan.